Buddhism

Buddhism began 2,500 years ago, in Asia. There are now Buddhists in most countries throughout the world.

Buddhism is a religious practice, which expresses its philosophy through daily life.

Buddha means ‘The Awakened One’. Buddha travelled around telling others about his discovery of Nirvana, the enlightenment, wisdom and sense of peace which rises above pain and suffering.

Buddhists try to follow the ‘Eight Steps of the Eightfold Path’. These are not rules, but ideas of how people should behave towards one another. One of these steps is meditation or contemplation, which can be used to learn about the deep, inner self.

Buddhists believe that nothing is permanent and that the world and everyone in it constantly changes.

They believe that everything in the universe is connected, that every word, thought or deed will eventually have a result.

Buddhists try to feel compassion for all creatures and believe that they should never cause anyone or anything to suffer. This is one of the five precepts, or promises, which Buddhists follow.

The precepts are:

Buddhism and Jainism

The central principle of Buddhism and Jainism is Ahimsa which means many things: harmless (not to harm any living creature), non-violence, reverence for life, compassion. Many followers of Buddhism and all followers of Jainism are vegetarians. They believe that we are all part of the same family, the same Life Force, and that what we do to others affects not only ourselves, but all life on earth. The entire Universe is helped by our individual acts of compassion, or harmed by our acts of unkindness and violence. The Dalai Lama, a leading Buddhist spiritual leader, says "Even ants and other insects will run away from danger – they have intelligence and want to live too. Why should we harm them?"